Castro out of bed, but questions linger

A poster of Fidel Castro hangs between buildings in Havana. Picture / Reuters

HAVANA - Cuban leader Fidel Castro is said to be out of bed and talking as he recovers from surgery that has raised questions about his future and that of the island nation he has ruled for 47 years.

Cuban officials and allies kept up a steady stream of assurances on Sunday that the communist leader is on the mend from stomach surgery and soon will retake power he relinquished to brother Raul on Monday.

But neither of the septuagenarian Castro brothers has made a public appearance, and one Cuban leader suggested that Fidel, whose 80th birthday is August 13, may not return as the robust "comandante" he once was.

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, a close Castro friend and ally, said during a televised conversation with Bolivian President Evo Morales that Fidel was now able to leave his bed and hold conversations.

"This morning I learnt that he's doing well, that he's already standing up out of bed, he's talking - more than he should, because he talks a lot," said Chavez, who has become the most visible face of a group of increasingly influential leftist Latin American leaders.

During an official visit to Bolivia on Sunday, Cuban Vice President Carlos Lage said the news from Havana continued to be good.

"The news we have is that he continues progressing well. It will be a number of weeks, but he is going to recover."

The Cuban government has not disclosed Castro's location or the exact nature of his illness on grounds that it is a state secret because of a possible threat from the giant foe 144km to the north, the United States of America.

The government said he had surgery for gastrointestinal bleeding brought on by overwork and stress and has denied a report he suffers from stomach cancer.

Cuban officials have suggested the United States could take advantage of Castro's moment of weakness to launch an invasion it has long desired.

Even though both President George W. Bush and Secretary of State Condoleezza urged Cubans this week to use this time of flux to push for democracy, Rice insisted on Sunday an invasion was not in the works.

"I want to lay one thing to rest," she said on NBC's "Meet the Press." "The notion that somehow the United States is going to invade Cuba, because there are troubles in Cuba, is simply far-fetched. And it's simply not true."

"The United States wants to be a partner and a friend for the Cuban people as they move through this period of difficulty," Rice said.

Amid all the pronouncements about an improving Fidel, Cuban National Assembly President Ricardo Alarcon admitted in a US radio interview on Saturday that the ageing, ailing Castro may not come back as the omnipresent daily force he once was.

He said the Cuban government wants to keep Castro in good health, which would require that he face "abandoning the day-to-day work to which he was so accustomed for many years."

While Cuba has remained calm the past week, there were signs of concern.

At Mass at Havana's colonial-era cathedral, Cardinal Jaime Ortega, the Archbishop of Havana, asked for prayers for Castro and asked God for guidance for those running the country "in this moment of such importance."

The Cuban government says the revolution will continue even when Castro departs, under the leadership of 75-year-old Raul, who is seen as an efficient manager without Castro's charisma.

- REUTERS